Best Christmas Movies on HBO Max: 2025 Edition

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means it’s almost the season for watching Christmas movies on streaming. After all, Thanksgiving is basically just the first day of the Christmas month. Rather than getting pushed and shoved at the mall participating in a barbaric capitalist ritual on Black Friday, why not just curl up, get cozy on the couch, and watch a bunch of Christmas movies? That sounds a lot safer—and cheaper—to me!

The good news? If you have an HBO subscription, you already have access to some truly classic Christmas movies, streaming free on HBO Max. From old school Golden Age flicks like the 1938 Christmas Carol, to more modern favorites like Will Ferrell’s Elf, there is a Christmas movie for everyone streaming on HBO Max. Read on to see a list of some of the best Christmas movies streaming on HBO Max.

If you’re new to HBO Max, you can sign up for as low as $10.99/month with ads, but an ad-free subscription will cost $18.49/month.

If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the discounted Disney+ Bundles with Hulu and HBO Max. With ads, the bundle costs $19.99/month and without ads, $32.99/month.

1. Elf (2003)

   It’s been over two decades since Will Ferrell gifted the world a new Christmas classic, and the annual holiday re-watch of Elf still slaps. Ferrell’s childlike energy paired with his towering frame make for comedy gold in his role as a human child raised by elves, who ventures into the human world of New York City to meet his biological father. If you say you don’t like this movie, you sit on a throne of lies.

2. Kick it old school this Christmas with a true classic, with what many still consider the definitive film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous holiday-themed ghost story. British actor Reginald Owen delivered a career-defining performance as Ebenezer Scrooge, while Oscar-nominated actor Gene Lockhart played Bob Cratchit. There are no Muppets and no Disney characters, but it’s still an entertaining watch.

4. Jean Shepherd’s 1966 comedic collection of essay, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, has been forever memorialized in this 1983 film, directed by Bob Clark, about a young boy, Ralphie, recalling his chaotic childhood Christmas with his family, growing up in the 1930s. I have to be honest: Watching this one over and over again on TBS’s “24 Hours of A Christmas Story” marathon has caused it to lose some of its charm, for me. But the “I like Santa” kid will always make me laugh.

5. Director Robert Zemeckis and star Tom Hanks are known for their collaborations on Forrest Gump and Cast Away, but don’t forget that The Polar Express belongs on that list, too. This animated adaptation of the beloved 1985 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg famously used motion capture of its actors, meaning there are a lot of weird videos of Tom Hanks acting out the Polar Express lines out there. Personally, I found the animation terrifying as a child, but to each their own!

6. Keep the laughs going with this Christmas edition of the National Lampoon magazine’s Vacation film series. Chevy Chase stars as Clark W. “Sparky” Griswold Jr., the well-meaning patriarch of his family who is always getting them into ridiculous situations. In this one, Clark is determined to have the best Christmas ever with his family. You can guess how well that goes.

7. Christmas is a time for family, but not all families are happy or functional. This family drama—written and directed by David E. Talbert, the man who would go on to bring you Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey on Netflix—tells the story of one such dysfunctional family, who come together for the holidays for the first time since their mother’s death. The sprawling ensemble cast includes Kimberly Elise, Mo’Nique, Nicole Ari Parker, Gabrielle Union, Keri Hilson, Jessie Usher, Danny Glover, Omar Epps, John Michael Higgins, D.C. Young Fly, and Romany Malco.

8. Long before he was the Landman man, Billy Bob Thorton was making kids cry in this R-rated comedy, where he starred as a thief who used his job as a mall Santa to steal from department stores. This one is rude, offensive, and definitely not for kids. But the adults will have some holiday-themed laughs.

9. If you can stomach the idea of Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as an on-screen couple, then you might enjoy this light-hearted comedy about a couple forced to attend four different family Christmas parties in one day. Sounds like a nightmare to me!

10. If you’ve grown weary of hearing the same Christmas Carol story told a million different ways over the years, why not switch things up by watching this movie about Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol? Dan Stevens stars as Dickens, while Jonathan Pryce plays his father. Christopher Plummer makes an appearance as Scrooge, who manifests in Dickens’ imagination while he’s writing.